Online college course enrollment surges

The 2011 Survey of Online Learning reveals that the number of students nationwide taking at least one online course in the fall 2010 term surpassed 6 million. Nearly one-third of all students in higher education are taking at least one online course.

The latest Bay Area development is free online classes offered by University Now, a San Francisco-based company, subsidized by employers in Oakland, San Francisco and Sacramento.

Key report findings include:

More than 6.1 million students were taking at least one online course during the fall 2010 term, an increase of 560,000 students over the previous year.